Sports Agent

Funeral services for sports agent Al Frohman of Encino will be held Sunday at Groman-Eden Mortuary in Mission Hills. Frohman, 61, suffered a stroke last month and died Tuesday of coronary arrest at UC Irvine Medical Center. In 1980, he negotiated Dave Winfield's contract with the New York Yankees, calling for a reported $1.4 million a year--the highest for a free agent at the time.

Trouble had stalked Lloyd Bloom for years. Accused of racketeering in a highly charged scandal involving college football players, Bloom prevailed in court, only to face later battles over alleged mail fraud and business deals gone sour. So when the sports and entertainment agent was found slain this week in his lavish Malibu home, those who knew him were less than shocked.

Former sports agent Michael Trope testified Thursday that Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier) seemed to be "fixated with money" and requested campaign contributions or honorariums from Trope every time the two met. Under cross-examination, however, Trope also testified that Montoya never threatened to vote against bills favored by Trope if the sports agent failed to make a contribution.

Sports agent Lance Luchnick has refused to discuss published reports that he gave money to someone related to Alabama linebacker Keith McCants. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today quoted an unidentified family member as saying, "Somebody in this family got money (from Luchnick), but it wasn't Keith or Momma (McCants' mother, Cindy). They haven't taken anything from anybody, from no agent. There weren't any handouts to this house."

A recent visitor to the Newport Beach office that runs the businesses of some of the NFL's best players walked into a startling sight. In one chair was Robert Wuhl, the actor who plays the sports agent in the HBO comedy "Arliss." In another chair was Leigh Steinberg, the sports agent who sometimes plays an actor. Behind them was a big-screen TV that has been showing trailers for the movie "Jerry Maguire," starring Tom Cruise in the role of . . . a sports agent.

By the middle of January, Pat Ruel had reached a boiling point. The offensive line coach -- normally an affable guy -- stepped out of the USC football offices and, scanning the lobby below, counted more than a dozen unfamiliar faces. "I know what cockroaches look like," he said. "And I know what agents look like." Some of the biggest names in the sports agent business had been hanging around Heritage Hall. Leigh Steinberg leaning against a counter near the trophy cases.

What: "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" Where: HBO, tonight, 10-11 One thing you can say about the latest edition of HBO's award-winning sports magazine show is that it is well-balanced. There are two stories dealing with the underbelly of sports--one on a sports agent accused of wrongdoing, another on the academic fraud scandal at the University of Minnesota.